Federal authorities seized a shipment of fake watches and designer jewelry imported to Puerto Rico by international mail and courier.
This was reported in a press release by the United States Customs Field and Border Protection Operations Unit (CBP) in San Juan.
The agency reported that the estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of all seized counterfeit products is approximately $ 265,000, if the products had been genuine.
“Consumers sponsor certain brand name products for their intrinsic value and quality,” said Leida Colón, deputy director of Field Operations for Commerce. “Counterfeits do not have the desired quality and reduce the value of the brand.”
Most seizures of pirated products at the San Juan Field Office are jewelry, footwear, clothing, and prescription drugs. The countries of origin of most of these items are Hong Kong and China.
Recently, the San Juan Field Office also confiscated 844 counterfeit alloy rings.
According to CBP, the manufacture of counterfeit products deprives legitimate businesses of income, steals jobs from American workers, and poses threats to the health and safety of American consumers.
Often the proceeds from sales of counterfeit goods support other illicit and illicit companies, the federal agency added.
CBP has an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program, which targets and confiscates imports of counterfeit and pirated products, and enforces exclusion orders for products that infringe patents and other IPRs.
Despite these efforts, the Internet has made it easier to find, purchase, and ship items from almost anywhere in the world. In high demand for well-known brands, many online sellers sell counterfeit products online, violating the rights and income of several trademark holders.
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